Food and beverage stories

Historic harvest at Government House

Tasmania’s grape harvest is in full swing, and this year the state’s thriving wine industry has a new player on the block – Government House. In a historic event, the first grapes grown in the stately gardens of Hobart’s Government House have been plucked off the vines. The grapes were planted with much fanfare three years ago: a total of 1500 merlot, riesling and cabernet vines added to the rolling lawns. Head gardener at Government House, Ben Essex, told ABC Rural he is excited about overseeing the historic harvest: “I have only been here just over a month and I can’t believe the first big job is to make sure the grape harvest goes smoothly.” He added the wines would be made off-site pointing to the bumper crop: “We are expecting to pick around five bins of riesling grapes today which then will be processed by Winemaking Tasmania at Cambridge.” While the finished product is still a few years in the making, Governor Kate Warner has already planned to serve her own wine with pride to the thousands of people who visit Government House each year. Although what will be on the label is still a matter of conjecture.

Image courtesy of ABC News

Here's a sneak peak as Brand Tasmania tests the early reaction to Tasmania's 2018 vintage at three southern Tasmania vineyards:

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